You may not realize it, but Facebook doesn't show you a chronological series of the latest posts from your friends and "liked" pages when you visit News Feed. Instead, the social network uses an algorithm to determine what it thinks you'll want to see and shows you that.
If you'd like to exert a bit more control, there's a somewhat hidden way to make sure your favorite people and pages always appear at the top of your feed. You can do it on your computer or your smartphone.
On A Computer
To select which Facebook posts you see first on a computer, first go to a friend's profile. You'll see a button that says "Following" next to their name and at the bottom of their cover photo. Click on that, then select "See first."
If you want to see posts from "liked" brands at the top of your feed, there are a couple more steps. Go to the page you're interested in, then click the button that says "Liked." Then, click "Posts in News Feed." From there, select "See First" and save your changes. Posts from your brand of choice will now surface at the top of your News Feed. Congratulations: You just made a social media editor very, very happy.
Posts from people and pages you've asked to "See First" should now surface at the top of your News Feed at facebook.com with a little blue star next to them.
On A Smartphone Or Tablet
Selecting which Facebook posts to see first is actually even simpler on a mobile device. Open the Facebook app, go to your friend's page, tap "Following" and select the "See First" option on the window that pops up.
Unlike the desktop version of Facebook, the process is exactly the same for pages you like: Go to the page, tap "Following" and select "See First."
Why Bother?
If you're ever frustrated that your News Feed seems like a glut of nonsense from people and pages you don't really care about, it's worth taking the time to manually select what you "See First." You won't miss it when your friends post something, and the top of your feed will theoretically be filled with the stuff you want to spend time with. Facebook allows you to choose up to 30 people or pages to "See First," so go nuts.
Remember, though, that the social network will still keep track of what you interact with in hopes of distilling your behavior down to a science. You can help it understand what you care about, but you're still feeding it more precious data about yourself. Enjoy!